West Hartford Schools Seek Dismissal Of Nickname Suit

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The West Hartford Board of Education Friday officially filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the town regarding the recent nickname change of the town's high schools.

The West Hartford Board of Education June 7 voted 5-2 vote along party lines, changing Conard High School's nickname from the Chieftains to the Red Wolves and Hall High School's nickname from the Warriors to the Titans.

Board Democrats were in support and the two Republicans, Ethan Goldman and Gayle Harris, opposed.

West Hartford residents Scott Zweig and Mary (Haggerty) McGowan filed a lawsuit in Hartford Superior Court against West Hartford's move, stating they want the nicknames to remain the same. Both are graduates of Hall.

Friday, the attorney representing the school board, Dallas C. Dodge, said the issue wasn't a legal one, but a political disagreement.

“This is a lawsuit that should have never been filed. Litigation is not an appropriate way to resolve what is fundamentally a political disagreement, and we look forward to fully briefing and arguing this issue," Dodge said in a statement. "Out of respect for the judicial process, the town will not have further comment until the court hears the argument and rules on our motion to dismiss.”

The plaintiffs claim the school board violated multiple policies by deciding to change the nicknames and did so against the public and student body's wishes.

Zweig, an attorney, and McGowan claim the school board went against a 2015 board of education policy vote to keep the Native American-theme nicknames.

The move was amid the ongoing push against such nicknames, evidenced by Cleveland's baseball team going from Indians to Guardians and Washington, D.C.'s football team going from Redskins to the Commanders.

West Hartford could have lost $28,000 in tribal funding from the Indian casinos in the state due to a new state law mandating the loss of such funds for schools with Native American nicknames.

The court has already decided in favor of the town on a prior motion in this case.

On June 9, a Hartford Superior Court judge denied a request for a temporary injunction that would have restored the nicknames until the lawsuit was rectified.

To read the full motion filed by West Hartford, click on this link.